Passing the PRINCE2 Exams For Dummies

Finding PRINCE2 Planning a Bit Unusual?

If you’re finding product-based planning odd and hard to follow at first, don’t worry because nearly everyone does. Most people are focused on activity planning with Gantt charts (bar charts) and perhaps even activity networks and the critical path method. Strangely, if you’ve been involved in projects for a while, and immersed in activity planning, you’ll probably find product planning harder that if you’re new to projects and project management. Some people are tempted to cast product planning aside and just try to learn enough to scrape through the exams with the intention of returning to their old ‘activity led’ ways immediately afterwards. But please don’t take that path, or you’ll miss out on something that’s really good. Product-based planning is actually extremely powerful, it’s just that it’s not natural. If it takes you a while to get your head around it, don’t worry; soon the logic of the approach will impress you. But another consequence is that if you’re on a training course that rushed you through the subject (and one major PRINCE2 training company that I know covers product planning very, very fast – and awesomely badly), then you’ll need to allow a good amount of time in your revision plan for going through it.

Just in passing, and to add a little bit of extra spice to your revision, when you do get to understand product planning well, be aware that not too many people do – including at least some of the authors of the manual ...